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Friday, September 7, 2012

The Blackstone Rings: Almost Home

Colonel Nadja Orsilova, Explorer III, jinked her ship left to right and winced as another energy bolt impacted the hull. The craft was simply not designed to long survive such weapons fire. Explorer ships were little more than an engine, fuel cells and a complex sensor/avionics package. They were, most certainly, not suited to space combat. In deference to the military contingent of Explorer Command, the small craft was not entirely defenseless. Two solid-fuel rockets bristled under each wing. The stubby snout of a low-yield chemical laser protruded from the bow. Nadja had seen enough air combat during the bloody PanAsian Conflict to know such weapons were unlikely to prove effective against any determined bogey.She had no data concerning the combat capabilities of the two alien vessels closing on her six but she doubted her best chance of surivial lay in battling them. Though it would deplete her fuel reserves critically, she trusted to speed and her evasive piloting skills in this encounter.